There is a history of the covenants, a history in which God gradually
reveals himself and his desire for an intimate and unbreakable
relationship of love with men. According to the Catechism [CCC 288], this
history begins with

CCC 702 makes a distinction between the meaning of the term ''Prophets''
as understood by Jewish tradition, and the ''prophets'' as understood by
the faith of the Catholic Church:

''By 'prophets' the faith of the Church here understands all whom the
Holy Spirit inspired in living proclamation and in the composition of the
sacred books, both of the Old and the New Testaments. Jewish tradition
distinguishes first the Law (the first five books or Pentateuch), then the
Prophets (our historical and prophetic books) and finally the Writings
(especially the wisdom literature, in particular the Psalms).''
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a. all those inspired by the Holy Spirit to
proclaim God's word during both Old and New Testament times.b. all those inspired by the Holy Spirit to
proclaim God's word in writing during both Old and New Testament
times.c. only those inspired by the Holy Spirit
to proclaim God's word during Old Testament times.

In the Jewish tradition, ''the Prophets'' (capitalized) are particular
writings in their Bible. (Remember that the Catholic Old Testament adds
some writings specifically rejected by Jewish tradition as not part of
their Bible, and so the Old Testament is almost but not quite the same
writings as are contained in the Bible accepted by Jewish tradition). The
following may help you see what Jewish tradition means by ''the
Prophets.''

The three primary Jewish divisions of their scriptures:

The Law (Torah)
The Prophets
The Writings

''The Law'' (Torah):

The first five books in the Bible.
The Law is also known as ''Moses,'' or ''the book(s) of Moses,'' or the
Pentateuch (PEN-ta-took) (''pentateuchos'' means ''composed of five
books'' in Greek).

The Prophets:

Four writings in the Bible giving the history of the people of Israel
after Moses's death (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings), along with the
writings of prophets like Isaiah, etc.

The Writings:

Other books in the Bible, including Chronicles, but especially the wisdom
literature of sayings, proverbs, etc., and in particular the Psalms.
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The patriarchs, the prophets of the Old Testament, and certain other Old
Testament figures [CCC 61]

a. have at times but not always been
honored as saints in all the Catholic Church's liturgical traditions.b. have been and always will be honored as
saints in all the Catholic Church's liturgical traditions.c. have never been and will never be
honored as saints in all the Catholic Church's liturgical traditions.

a. ''I am the God of the Egyptians, the
friend of the most powerful people in the world.''b. ''I am the God beyond space and time,
thus too holy and remote to work in time and space to help you.''c. ''I am the God of your father, the God
of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.''

The Holy Father and the bishops poignantly profess [CCC 203] God's loving
revelation of himself in giving his name to Moses:

''A name expresses a person's essence and identity and the meaning of
this person's life. God has a name; he is not an anonymous force. To
disclose one's name is to make oneself known to others; in a way it is to
hand oneself over by becoming accessible, capable of being known more
intimately and addressed personally.''

In this passage in the Catechism we are probably also meant to see in
this revelation by God to Moses and to God's people Israel a foreshadowing
of God's complete revelation of himself in his only Son, the Word who
''handed himself over'' for our redemption. <<

God gives Moses his name, in Hebrew, YHWH (''I AM HE WHO IS,'' ''I AM WHO
AM,'' or ''I AM WHO I AM'') [CCC 206]. By giving his name God reveals that
he is

a. infinitely beyond anything we can
comprehend and not a God who makes himself close to men.b. infinitely beyond anything we can
comprehend and the God who makes himself close to men.c. not infinitely beyond anything we can
comprehend but a God who makes himself close to men.